Whilst mistakes can happen this does seem rather suspicious
Perhaps a way to provide a justification for reversing the previous resistance to the idea of splitting the order - especially if the 330 was coming out ahead....
EADS Won't Rule Out Protest Over Tanker Mistake
..........Some analysts and journalists are wondering whether the mixup will force the Air Force and Pentagon officials to split their tanker purchase between the two bidders.
O'Keefe neither endorsed nor objected to the Air Force buying EADS as well as Boeing tankers, saying that his company is ready to respond to whatever the service decides it needs to do.
"There have been a number of acquisition scenarios put forward over the last several years, split buy being one approach that is appealing to some," EADS spokesman Jamie Darcy said in a statement sent to reporters about two hours later.................